Review of Icon by Andrew R

A gem that's been sadly discontinued. Personal: 9/10 - A gentle, citrusy woods with a soft-fresh spicy edge that makes it interesting. I really enjoy it, and think it's one of the very few masculine white floral executions. Mass appeal: 8/10 – Very easy to like. Clean woods and soft spice make this broadly acceptable. Performance: 7/10 – Solid, steady performance. It lasts long enough without becoming loud or intrusive, and is quite reasonable for a freshie. Value: 6/10 – Discontinued and resale prices are only going up, but can currently be found on Fragrancenet for $75. At that price, it's a solid freshie, but not an instant buy. Uniqueness: 6.5/10 – Familiar woody-spicy DNA, but executed with a classy, old-school restraint. SCORE: 74/100 Full bottle buy? YES, a very pleasant and refined citrusy white floral, though increasingly hard to find. Blind buy? YES, fairly safe if you enjoy clean, masculine, woody fragrances and realistic florals. Recommend? YES, especially for someone who wants something mature and understated. Date night? YES, confident, mature and composed, though not overtly seductive. Office safe? YES, professional, polished, and very controlled. Pros: Clean and refined, classy woody-spice profile, gorgeous florals, versatile Cons: Lacks excitement, a bit too old-smelling, limited evolution Dunhill Icon feels like a fragrance designed for someone who values polish over flair. It opens with a smooth blend of citrus and spice that quickly settles into clean woods with a subtle peppery edge. A soft white floral presence is maintained throughout its evolution, with the neroli being one of the stars here. Everything in Icon feels intentional and well-balanced, but also very safe. This is not a fragrance that tries to stand out in a crowd. Instead, it aims to be quietly confident and pleasantly mature. There's nothing trendy or youthful about Icon, and it does the job of being a very smooth, masculine, old school summer freshie without needing strange synthetics or gimmicky notes. I just love how beautifully the pepper, cardamom, and oakmoss play together here. They're softly spicy with a beautiful woody twist, amplified and deepened by a smooth, unobtrusive oud base. I truly do appreciate the refinement and craftsmanship. This smells like what someone in a linen button down shirt, driving a Bentley would smell like. The imagery is of a British, upper class summer, and I'm enjoying every sniff. Had it not been discontinued, this would have absolutely entered my must-buy shortlist, but in its stead, I'll begin a journey to find a sufficiently similar, highly polished summer freshie that captivates me for the same reasons as Dunhill's Icon.